The act of covering boats for storage, including, for instance, pontoon boats which typically comprise a large open deck substantially comprised of a passenger area, can be a laborious endeavor requiring several persons.
Previously, efforts have been made to address this problem, including, in one form, by the provision of cruising tops (i.e., tops for covering all or a part of the passenger area during use of the boat) which may be selectively converted to storage covers. Exemplary in these regards is the disclosure of Heckman, U.S. Published Patent Application No. US2003/0217683 A1. Heckman more particularly discloses a boat cover lift which provides for the pneumatic movement of a one-piece boat top of fixed length between a raised position, wherein the boat top serves as a cruising cover above the boat deck, and a lowered position, wherein the boat top serves to cover the immediately underlying deck for storage.
But while the foregoing disclosure teaches a selectively convertible boat top and cover, neither it nor the prior art generally represents an entirely satisfactory solution. Accordingly, there continues to exist the need for a boat cover which serves as both a cruising top and a storage cover, and which may be selectively converted between both configurations.